Session 1.1 - ''We need to talk! Abuse of power in dance'
The Ethics Commission of the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland introduces the tasks and activities of the commission and presents the format 'Traveling Salon'. The 'Salon' is a space for encounters. Topics are discussed here that inspire but also polarize and are emotionally charged. It creates the safe space to discuss topics such as abuse of power.
Led by: Antje Klinge and Marie-Zoé Buchholz, members of the Ethics Commission of the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland

Session 1.2 - 'Funding 2024: less money - higher costs'
Little funding with a watering can or a lot of funding with a low funding rate: each decision creates different situations that those in the economic chain of funding - organizers - companies - artists (and team) - have to deal with. We want to think through and discuss the various situations, alternatives and their consequences beyond any rhetoric: What expectations can I have? Who bears what responsibility and where?
Led by: Béla Bisom, Managing Director transmissions GmbH and Commercial Director Favoriten-Festival

Session 1.3 - 'What would a dream application form look like?'
Together, we would like to model application forms and discuss in mixed groups - from the perspective of applicants, sponsors and jury members - how applications can be made more accessible and inclusive for everyone. This session will be based on the DIS-TANZ-SOLO jury's reflection paper on the discrimination-sensitive implementation of jury work and funding procedures.
Led by: Nicole Fiedler, Friederike Geisler and the team of the DIS-TANZEN funding program of the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland

Session 1.4 - 'How to move forward in dance education?'
How can dance training be strengthened so that dance can be presented with the highest level of professionalism in the ensembles of municipal and state theaters and the independent scene? How can tradition and the present, pedagogical experience and current dance medicine findings be incorporated equally into training?
Led by: Dr. Jaš Otrin, member of the Standing Expert Committee III (dance pedagogy, dance education) of Dachverband Tanz Deutschland

Session 2.1 - 'Equal rights for BIPoC-artists'
How can cultural equity and equal rights for BIPoC artists in the field of dance be achieved on a national level? What demands and support are needed? (Working language of this session is English)
Led by: Hannah Ma, performer, choreographer, producer and Leonard Cruz, performer, choreographer, professor for theatre and dance

Session 2.2 - 'Artists need funded production structures!'
The work of small artists is often a full-time job - and there is often a lack of professional support from production offices or management. But these structures are often not supported. How can producers/production offices be successfully integrated into the German funding structure as a GbR or sole trader?
Led by: Nadine Freisleben and Angela Fegers, cultural managers and founders of „Apricot Productions“

Session 2.3 - 'Financing and further development of dance journalism in the future?'
Within the TANZ.media association and Dachverband Tanz Deutschland, 'tanznetz' is committed to securing, financing and further developing dance journalism in the future. But what about the importance of dance journalism? What funding strategies are there? What would be a fair, equitable and sustainable approach at eye level - between journalists and readers?
Led by: Rico Stehfest, freelance journalist

Session 2.4 - 'Empowerment for dancers'
How can the desire for change be translated into action and activism? What prevents artists from actively shaping change in the dance scene? What conditions need to be met for them to feel empowered to take action in their working environment or on a cultural policy level? (The working language of this session is English.)
Led by: Sara Escribano and Diana Wöhrl, hybrid dance artists and dance activists, dancersconnect

Session 2.5 - 'All under one roof.'
How do publicly funded theaters deal with urban dance?
Led by: Christopher Deutsch, freelance video artist, dramaturge, pedagogue, production manager 'Urban Arts' at Theater Oberhausen - The session was introduced spontaneously by Christopher.

Session 3.1 - 'More appreceation for dance as art form'
What strategies can the scene develop and what alliances can it form to emphasize the social significance of dance and increase the reliability of political statements?
Led by: Sabine Gehm, curator, coordinator, project manager, board member of the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland

Session 3.2 - 'Shaping the relationship between 'gatekeepers' and artists'
How can 'gatekeepers', programmers, festival directors and artists succeed in concentrating on common interests instead of manifesting dependencies?
Led by: Douglas Bateman and artist friends of the program „Festival Friends“

Session 3.3 - 'Artists in exile'
How can dancers and choreographers continue their dance careers in exile? What possibilities of support are there and which ones make sense - regionally and nationally? How can problems and challenges be solved together? (The working language of this session is English.)
Led by: Elena Leskova, cultural manager, producer

Session 3.4 - 'The Shapeshifting Game App'
Digital exploration of the arts: Using the Laban Motion Analysis, participants will be introduced to the Shapeshifting Game App, which allows them to explore and analyze all the arts. (The working language of this session is English.)
Led by: Prof. Dr. Leonard A. Cruz, performer, choreographer, professor for theatre and dance

Session 3.5 - 'Finding an end'
How do you actually know when something has come to an end? What is the essential and how do you distinguish it from what has become non-essential? How do you end things that should be ended?
Led by: Melanie Suchy, freelance dance journalist - The session was brought in spontaneously by Melanie.

Session 4.1 - 'A mobile dance studio?!'
Would a mobile dance studio - realized through the interim use of real estate - be an opportunity for the independent dance scene to solve (rehearsal) space problems? Beneficial, questionable or nonsense? Would this be a win-win situation for dance creators/performers and property owners - and ultimately for the attractiveness of cities?
Led by:Sabina Stücker and Judith Ayuso Pereira, IG Tanz Essen

Session 4.2 - 'All on Google!? Dance knowledge in the 21st century'
Journalism, science and archives form a joint network of expertise. They collect, preserve, develop and communicate knowledge about dance. But what about these forms of knowledge in the 21st century? What can dance archives offer that is not already available on YouTube and Wikipedia? Why do we need dance studies? And who will save dance journalism?
Led by: Melanie Suchy, Thomas Thorausch and Patrick Primavesi, members of the Standing Expert Committee IV (Dance Studies, Archives and Journalism) of the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland

Session 4.3 - 'Wanted: New funding pots for dance art in old age'
The connection between dance art and age - and thus the appreciation and acceptance of idiosyncrasies, physical and mental development processes and ageing in dance - is an important topic. Nevertheless, there are very few funding opportunities for this. There needs to be a rethink and, if possible, an extra funding pot for the art of dance in old age!
Led by: Gabriele Gierz, dance teacher, dancer and choreographer

Session 4.4 - 'Continuity in the ensemble work'
The permanent ensembles at municipal and state theaters as well as continuously working independent ensembles are multi-players - they develop three to four new productions per year, perform repertoire, go out into the urban space, on the road and on tour. They often reach their limits in the structures of the theaters as well as in independent sponsorship. For several years now, ensemble funding has been discussed as a means of strengthening continuous artistic work.
Led by: Michael Freundt, Managing Director of the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland

Session 4.5 - 'Talking about the Global South'
The knowledge that people from the Global South have brought to the North is not recognized. Instead, these people are taught by the Global North what the 'right' knowledge is and how they should relate their own knowledge to it.
Led by: Hannah Ma, performer, choreographer, producer - The session was brought in spontaneously by Hannah.

Session 5.1 - 'Where did you go, my audience?'
How can an audience development strategy be developed to reach different target groups? How can audience loyalty be strengthened and new audiences gained at the same time?
Led by: Nikos Konstantakis, actor, sociologist, dance educator

Session 5.2 - 'Promoting diversity - when and how?'
Diversity is on everyone's lips. However, there is still a lack of visibility and access for different dance practices that operate outside the mainstream understanding of dance. How can access and exchange be created at eye level - true to the motto "Nothing about us without us"?
Led by: Rajyashree Ramesh, dance educator, niche expert, board member of the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland - together with Rea Andrea Kurmann and Mardhini Vaadwal Sreedar

Session 5.3 - 'Growing older and growing old in the independent performance scene'
What is the current situation for dancers above 60 (or even above 50)? How is age discrimination dealt with? What perspectives are there? And how can experience be passed on to future generations as valuable potential?
Led by: Petra Lehr, dancer, choreographer, dance educator

Session 5.4 - 'Further development of the fee floor and funding'
Sustainable funding and continuous funding prospects are needed to counteract crises. What has been achieved so far with the fee floor in the independent performing arts? What concrete experiences have been made? Where do improvements need to be made?
Led by: Helge-Björn Meyer, Managing Director of the Bundesverband Freie Darstellende Künste e.V.

Session 6.1 - 'Dance in area regions'
The promotion of networks creates structures to strengthen dance and its protagonists. The "Tanz weit draußen" alliance strengthens dance beyond the urban conurbations through transnational exchange and skills transfer, including residencies, mentoring, online formats, exchange of productions and symposia.
Led by: Andrea Gern, Managing Director of the TanzSzene Baden-Württemberg e.V. and Elisabeth Nehring, specialist office Tanz Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Session 6.2 - 'World Cultural Heritage- and now?'
In 2022, the practice of modern dance was added to the UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage List. How can the discourse on the heritage of modern dance as a significant dance-cultural form of expression be maintained and knowledge deepened and disseminated?
Led by: Claudia Fleischle-Braun, Dr. Christiana Rosenberg-Ahlaus, Susanne Montag-Wärnå, AG Moderner Tanz

Session 6.3 - 'Creating access through adequate support'
Accessible events and collaboration on eye level of chronically ill/disabled/deaf artists, including sustainable project funding - how can this be (better) achieved?
Led by: Angela Alves, choreographer

Session 6.4 - 'Urban Dance needs more visibility!'
How can a place be created for Urban Dance in the current funding structures for dance? How can the visibility of Urban Dance be increased? How can professional structures in the form of independent stages, training centers and festivals be conceived, planned and (in terms of cultural policy) be implemented?
Led by: Zekai Fenerci, Artistic and Managing Director of Pottporus e.V., and Sebastian Bös

Session 6.5 - 'How can we get more dance into music schools?'
When general education schools work musically and artistically, it has so far mainly been with singing and instruments - less often with dance. Is it possible to create more attention for dance through music schools?
Led by: Linda Müller, who has been working on establishing dance projects in various social contexts for more than 20 years - The session was spontaneously introduced by Linda.